MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecture

The MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecture was inaugurated in 2001 in memory of the late Lord Cowdrey of Tonbridge.

A past President of MCC, Cowdrey - together with another former Club President, Ted Dexter - was instrumental in the Spirit of Cricket being included as the Preamble to the 2000 Code of the Laws of Cricket.

It is held annually during the English summer and has been delivered by eminent figures from across the world of cricket - from Richie Benaud to Christopher Martin-Jenkins to Clive Lloyd.

The 2016 Lecture was delivered by former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum on 6 June. It was broadcast live on the Lord's YouTube channel and on this website, and is available to view via these mediums now.

The inaugural Lecture was delivered in July 2001 by Richie Benaud to an audience of invited guests. Subsequent Lecturers have been:

Video: Favourite players and Dravid on Lara

All the MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecturers, irrespective of nationality, cricketing background or age, have been united in their reverence for the founding tenets of the Spirit of Cricket: fairness, honesty and respect.

Highlights:

Kumar Sangakkara's poignant and impassioned speech on the history of cricket in Sri Lanka made headlines across the globe

The Most Reverend Desmond Tutu's discussion on the role the sporting boycott of South Africa played in ending apartheid - delivered during the Zimbabwe crisis

Tony Greig's last great Lord's performance, delivered just months before his death in 2012

Sir Ian Botham's powerful speech in 2014, where he declared the IPL bad for cricket